Elections to be held on time; dialogue will not be held on roads: Marriyum Aurangzeb

ISLAMABAD, Oct 29 (SABAH): Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s threats to DG ISI were being celebrated in India. She said that elections to be held on time and that the dialogue will not be held on roads.

At the beginning of the long march on Friday, Imran referred to DG ISI and said: “I know a lot of things but I am only silent for the sake of my country. I don’t want to damage my nation.”

Moreover, following a press conference by the DG ISI on Thursday last, Imran Khan said in an interview “if institutions are apolitical, what was the purpose of holding a political presser.“

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Imran Khan’s remarks against DG ISI were being celebrated by India.

Showing video clips where Indian news channels highlighted Imran’s threats to DG ISI, she termed Imran Khan “Modi’s campaigner in Pakistan.”

“When institutions told Imran to handle his own politics, he began calling them out and used derogatory terms against them,” she said.

She lamented that Imran Khan did not even spare the martyrs of the country and spoke against the victims of helicopter crash in Lasbela. She underlined that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) always wanted the public to respect the vote but Imran has resorted to pressurising the government whenever his demands are not met.

“Long marches and drives are useless. This was done in 2014 as well to derail the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) but that did not happen,” she said. “Elections will take place at the end of the government’s term in 2023.” She emphasised that nothing had changed since 2014 because Imran is still on a container with the same demands.

According to her, Imran was looking for an NRO now but “the government will not hold talks with an anarchist.” Imran kickstarted another long march on Friday last citing that “it was time for the country to start its journey for true freedom. He hoped the protest would force the government to announce immediate elections.”

This is the second such march by Imran this year, with the first held on May 25. It was called off after violent clashes between PTI supporters and law-enforcement agencies in different cities.

However, he has now again gathered hundreds of supporters to join a caravan of cars and trucks heading for the capital Islamabad to pressure the government into calling snap polls.